Telephone Interpreting

What Is Telephone Interpretation?

Over the phone interpretation is one of the most convenient forms of interpretation available to businesses, thanks to its convenience and cost-effectiveness. Telephone interpreting allows people to communicate across different languages in a matter of seconds.

A telephone interpreter is an essential service if an interpreter is unable to attend your meeting or conference in person. Similarly, a phone interpreter is beneficial in an emergency or unexpected situation where interpretation is needed, and can also preserve anonymity if necessary.

The team at Global Voices have decades of telephone interpretation experience between them. Our phone interpreters are bilingual and bicultural professionals, all of whom are experts in specific business sectors.

Over the phone interpretation asks many things of our interpreters, which they need to do simultaneously: listen to the speaker, analyse what has been said, and interpret this into another language while preserving the form, nuances and intention of the original message. These skills have been acquired through rigorous training and perfected through experience, and we are proud to be home to a global team of knowledgeable experts.

Telephone interpreting is an efficient and affordable method of communicating across the language barrier. It allows people to communicate in different languages in a matter of seconds through the simple use of a telephone. In some situations, a telephone interpreter can be more advantageous than a face to face interpreter.  

Emergencies, for example, may require interpretation support immediately. If this is the case, it is far more convenient to pick up the phone and connect with an interpreter than it is to arrange for one to come to you. It’s also possible that you’ll have the unexpected need for an interpreter even in non-emergencies. A client that speaks another language may have an urgent question, for example.

Telephone interpreters are also useful for handling translation anonymously. Anonymous interpretation can be useful for sensitive calls — if journalists are talking to sources who don’t want to be identified, or if someone wants to tip off the police without being found out.

Then there is the way telephone interpretation avoids geographical limitations. If you’re in a location an interpreter can’t access, telephone interpreting is an effective alternative.